Spring has become the traditional
season for the selection of a new trio of talented American opera singers as
the winners of the ARIA (Awards Recognizing Individual Artistry) Awards. The
2002 recipients are tenor Eric Cutler, bass Oren Gradus and soprano Celena
Shafer. Past winners have included mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung and
Stephanie Blythe.

On March 21, John Corigliano was awarded this year's National Arts
Club Gold Medal Music Award. On April 14, he received another honour as he
was named "2002 Educator of the Year" by the Kappa Delta Pi, the
international honour society for professional people in
education.

Sofia Gubaidulina was named a recipient of the 2002 Polar
Music Prize. The prize is in the amount of 100,000 US$ and is considered one of
the most prestigious international awards in music. Past winners have included
Witold Lutoslawski.

Auditions began in January for the inaugural Youth
Orchestra of the Americas (YOA), the first orchestra of its kind to include
young musicians representing every country in the Western Hemisphere. Artistic
advisor, Placido Domingo, has scheduled the orchestra's rehearsals and its first
tour for July 7- August 17, 2002. Leonard Slatkin will guest conduct the YOA
while on tour and will perform with Yo-Yo Ma at the orchestra's gala
performance.

New works

On June 7 and 8, a
recently-discovered bassoon concerto believed to be the work of Gioacchino
Rossini (1792-1868) is to be given its North American premiere by Steven
Dibner at the Mainly Mozart Festival in Escondido and San Diego. This
controversial work challenges musicologists and musicians alike; some cite
evidence of Rossini's authorship, others try to disprove it. This is a
much-anticipated event by bassoonists worldwide. The 20-minute piece is
considered a major addition to the repertory, and is thought to be a
substantial and beautiful work by all who have heard it. According to
bassoonist Steven Dibner, the existence of a concerto by Rossini had long been
documented, but no one knew where it might be kept nor the details of its
orchestration. It is thought that the work might have been written (or
sketched) between 1842 and 1845 as a "concerto da esperimento"--a final
examination piece--by Rossini for Nazzareno Gatti, a 17-year-old bassoon
virtuoso who was studying at the Bologna conservatory. The manuscript has been
in the Biblioteca Musicale Giuseppe Greggiati in Ostiglia, Italy, for the past
150 years.

Last month, the Banff Centre again teamed up with Ballet
British Columbia for the creation of its latest full-length narrative ballet,
Orpheus. The ballet was set to music adapted from Orfeo ed
Euridice by
Gluck and choreographed by John Alleyne.

John Harbison's opera The Great Gatsby had its
premiere at the Met in December 1999. Artistic director James Levine was so
taken by the new work that he declared it had to be revived at the Met as soon
as possible. This happened at the beginning of May and, incredibly, the entire
cast (minus one) was available to reprise their original roles.